Former Mets pitching coach Phil Regan filed an age discrimination lawsuit Monday against the club and former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, claiming that the franchise did not keep him on staff after the 2019 season due to the organization preferring someone younger.
Regan, who was 82 in ’19, replaced Dave Eiland as the Mets pitching coach in June 2019 on an interim status. He held the position until the conclusion of that season when he was replaced by New York’s current pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who was 33 at the time, in December 2019.
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Matthew Bilt, Regan’s lawyer, wrote in a statement that the franchise ditched Regan as pitching coach because of his age instead of “rewarding him for his masterful performance” with the team.
“Phil [Regan] came into an underperforming pitching staff and immediately righted the ship,” Blit said in a statement, per ESPN. “He helped lower the team ERA and brought the staff back to where it was supposed to be. BVW [Brodie Van Wagenen] specifically informed Mr. Regan that he wasn't being retained because of his age.”
The Mets had a 4.74 ERA before firing Eiland and a 3.84 ERA thereafter, mostly under Regan, and finished three games out of a playoff spot with an 86–76 record. When New York chose not to retain Regan as the MLB club’s pitching coach following the ’19 campaign, he continued working with the organization as a minor-league pitching coordinator through last season.
However, the Mets did not retain him in that role this past season, and have declined comment on the lawsuit while Van Wagenen deferred to the club for a comment.
Regan also says he worked in a hostile workplace environment, faced instances of harassment as well as encountered lowered pay and fewer opportunities.
“The hurt from the conversation that he had with Mr. Van Wagenen continues to haunt him to this day,” Blit told TMZ Sports. “He can hear the exact words playing in his head over and over. Phil knew this had to be done.”
Regan initially joined the Mets as a pitching coach in ‘09 for the Class A St. Lucie. He then became New York’s minor league pitching coordinator in ‘16. He last served as an MLB pitching coach in ‘99 with Cleveland, and was also the Cubs’ pitching coach in ‘97 and ‘98. He managed the Orioles to a 71–73 mark in the shortened ‘95 lockout season as well as the Mariners from ‘84 to ‘86.
